wythe

W4Y4T1H4E1
/waɪθ//wɪθ//wɪð/

noun

A continuous vertical section of masonry, one unit in thickness.

“That wall has to be at least three wythes of brick to support your load.”

OriginOld English wiþþe →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

wythe1

nounwythe (plural wythes)

plural wythes

  1. businessA continuous vertical section of masonry, one unit in thickness.

    That wall has to be at least three wythes of brick to support your load.

  2. architectureA partition between flues in a chimney.

    A chimney runs from the base of the first flue liner to the top of the last flue liner, or to any rain cap above it. Attach single-wythe chimneys to the house.

    1986, Jack Payne Jones, Handbook of Construction Contracting: Plans, specs, building, Craftsman Book Company, →ISBN, page 373
    1 more example

    […] Where there is more than one flue, there is usually a single wythe of masonry separating the flues. Particularly on older chimneys with poor or missing caps, this wythe of brick dividing the flues may be[…]

    2003, Carson Dunlop, Principles of Home Inspection: Chimneys & wood heating, Dearborn Real Estate, →ISBN, page 30

Wythe2

proper noun
  1. A surname.

Origin

  1. Old Englishwiþþe“tie, band”
  2. Englishwythe

Uncertain. * Perhaps an alteration of width. * Perhaps related to withe (“flexible twig; band of twigs”), from Old English wiþþe (“tie, band”). The chimney-partition sense may derive from the fact that a single wythe or thickness of brick has often been used for such partitions.

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with wythe

ithscythepithblitherithdryth
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Wyethwhytethewy
Cite this entry
APA

wythe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wythe

MLA

“wythe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wythe. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wythe,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wythe.

Source: wythe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.